


Gettin' Busy

by JoeLawson



Category: Dark Angel
Genre: M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-21
Updated: 2010-08-21
Packaged: 2017-10-11 04:40:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/108504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoeLawson/pseuds/JoeLawson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pent-up frustration and loneliness drive Alec and Joshua into each other's arms for a nice, no-strings-attached, stress-relieving buddy fuck... only nothing good ever comes completely without strings...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gettin' Busy

**Author's Note:**

> Betaed by Diamondback. It's all her fault anyway for getting me hooked on Jensen Ackles in the first place.

##  One: Here Kitty-Kitty

Annie had gone. Max had gone. Even his new "roomie" had taken off. Humans and pretty kitties could do that; poor, lonely Joshua couldn't.

All alone in his empty house, Father's first transgenic sat with his head hanging, shoulders drooping, lower lip pouting. He would've liked to kick something, to howl and rage and tell the world what exactly he thought of its callous attitude towards people who were different. Only that might attract attention, which would get him into trouble, which would result in dashing heroics and endless lectures from his overprotective friends. He snorted disdainfully. As if he weren't perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

His lip quivered. Annie was gone. He'd _liked_ Annie. She was sweet and pretty. She smelled great. She had loved his macaroni and cheese, and admired his pictures.

It was so unfair. They could've made this work somehow, he knew it. Annie was a genuinely nice person, her blindness really an asset rather than a problem; if he'd eased her into it, he was sure she'd have accepted the whole Manticore mess as part of who he was. People aren't afraid of what they _do_ understand. He could have made this work. He could have kept his friend. He could've gained a lover. 'Cause, hooo, boy, Annie was a hottie!

Maybe he shouldn't have listened to Alec. Alec was a good guy and reasonably smart, but he didn't always know best. He was one messed up fella, Alec was, not always truthful. However, he'd been so deeply scared by the news report Joshua hadn't been able to deny him. The sour stink of his friend's fear still hung around the hallway, a sobering reminder of just how serious their situation was. Alec was one of the most happy-go-lucky creatures Joshua had ever met. It took a lot to crack his defenses and make him admit weakness... and today he'd almost pleaded with Joshua to send Annie away. The man could be irritatingly self-centered - he was kind of like a stray tom in that regard - but he hadn't been afraid for his own sake this time.

So maybe Alec was right. Maybe this was necessary to keep them all safe, Annie included. No matter that Alec and Max did have ordinary friends, could go out in public, talk to people, _touch_ people.

Life sucked.

It sucked even worse that Annie wouldn't remember _his_ face; she'd remember Alec's. Not Joshua's blunt, exotic features but Alec's near-perfect bone structure, his full lips, the smell of his sweet, Cola-scented breath. The thought made Joshua grumble to himself. It should've been him, though he couldn't have said whether he'd wanted to be the one being touched or the one doing the touching. At this point, he really didn't give a damn as long as skin-to-skin contact happened. He'd gone for too long without since Father had disappeared and everything had gone to shit. Touch had become rare and precious, and, damn it, Joshua wanted to cuddle, he wanted to play, he wanted _sex_.

Nobody there to accommodate him though, so Joshua did what he always did when he was about ready to explode: he grabbed a fresh canvas, a brush, a couple of cans of paint, and got busy.

_Swirl, swirl. Stroke, stroke._

It was a good thing nobody but him seemed able to accurately read his paintings, because this one was satisfyingly obscene.

* * *

By the time Alec pushed open the door and slipped back into the cozy darkness of Joshua's house, bags of fast food in one hand, a six-pack dangling from the other, he was thoroughly disgusted with the world in general and the concept of self-pity in particular. He'd been in a funk ever since he'd come to the decision to send Asha off to live happily ever after. Well, to live anyway. A couple of nightmares involving his couch, a lot of blood, and a dead blonde had convinced him that getting involved with a non-bulletproof person was a bad idea.

As a matter of fact, getting involved with _anybody_ was going to be a risk from now on. The existence of transgenics had been revealed to the greater public. It was only a matter of time before they'd all be caught in a war they couldn't win and Alec held no illusions as to his chances of survival. When it came down to it, he was a realist. The cat, as they said, was out of the bag. Like all of his kind, he was about to become a moving target, and everybody around him had just turned into potential collateral damage. Attachments were dangerous. He sighed. This was seriously cramping his style. He'd gotten used to getting laid fairly regularly, but the thought of some innocent lady being killed just because she was showing him a good time didn't sit well with him.

He'd have to think of something, because going celibate for good was not an option. He was a fully grown X5 male about to enter his prime, off Manticore contraceptives since he'd been assigned to the breeding program, wading through a swamp of pheromones wherever he went. He could ignore his biological imperative only for so long. Sooner or later, he'd snap. It was kind of pathetic, really.

Up ahead, a rectangle of golden light from the living room taunted him with a blurry splash of color in the midst of the monochrome precision of his night vision. Warm, inviting, promising much-needed diversion and like-minded company. He smiled and shook himself out of the uncomfortably broody mood. He was looking forward to spending the evening with Joshua. Every time he managed to have a conversation with Max that didn't end in verbal bitch-slapping or vague disgruntlement on both sides he ended up feeling like he desperately needed therapy. The woman had a serious attitude problem and she never hesitated to share the wealth. Thank God for Joshua. The big dog-man had a talent for canceling out the bitter aftertaste left by his _Little Fella_'s nasty disposition.

All in all, Alec was ready to call it a day. He'd successfully destroyed a relationship before it even started, been arrested for a murder he hadn't committed, almost gotten shot - after riding a drainpipe across an electric fence, no less - pushed his best friend into breaking up with a gorgeous girl before the two had even gotten to first base, and proved to be a pretty useless shoulder-to-cry-on to Max. He needed a change of pace and he needed it soon, before he tripped head first into the tar pit of gloom and despair that seemed such a popular place right now.

Actually, it would do Joshua good to cheer up some, too. Couldn't hurt to distract the big guy a bit, get his mind off Annie. Exasperate him. Make him smile. A sad Joshua was a depressing sight.

So Alec squared his shoulders, kicked his sorry mind-set back into shape, plastered his most charming grin onto his face, and rounded the corner with a swing in his step. "Hi honey, I'm home!"

Joshua whirled around, a snarl on his lips and a paint-dripping brush in his hand. He did not look particularly cheered.

Alec stopped in his tracks, raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Whoa. Down, boy. It's me."

The snarl stopped. Joshua sniffed a little, but didn't look contrite so much as slightly piqued. "Alec," he said. It was hard to read his tone of voice, but it was certainly lacking in enthusiasm.

Fortunately, it took more than an uninspiring greeting to throw Alec off course once he was on a roll. He strode into the room confidently, deposited his offerings on the table, and plunked down on the ratty armchair with the air of someone there to stay. "So, Joshua," he drawled, allowing his smile to tilt into a smirk just to get under his friend's skin. "Looks like it's just the two of us. Buddies. Amigos. Comrades in misery."

"Comrades," Joshua echoed, looking doubtful.

"Comrades," Alec confirmed easily. "You and me, a six pack and a bottle of JD to drown our sorrows, and enough pork rinds and ham hocks to clog both our arteries forever." He grinned at the spark of interest that lit in Joshua's eyes at the mention of food. "Knew that'd get your attention." Relaxing a little, he craned his neck in an attempt to see around the broad-shouldered dog man. "What're you painting?"

Joshua's face closed down again instantly. "Nothin'"

It was a reaction guaranteed to arouse Alec's curiosity. By now Joshua really should've known better. After all, this was the second time in twenty-four hours they were playing this game. Alec's eyebrows rose, then the X5 stretched and twisted, almost climbing across the armrest in his effort to get a better view. He could've simply gotten up, of course, but where was the fun in that? "C'mon, Josh, spill. What you got there?"

"Picture."

Well, that was helpful.

Since more squirming would only result in a very undignified tumble off the chair, Alec dropped his butt back on the seat and proceeded to stand up like a civilized person. The last vestiges of his black mood dissipated rapidly in view of this new development. An artist unwilling to talk about his work? Unheard of. Intriguing. Inquiring minds, as Sketchy would say, wanted to know.

"I can see that. What is it?" Alec asked, crossing over to Joshua on silent feet. He wormed around the taller man so he could eye the glistening canvas critically. Dark red at the bottom, lots of different shades of red and pink all over. Rita would've called it "bold" and loved it, even though there were no palimpsests. Maybe Joshua would agree to try and sell it; they could split the profit and... and... and was it his imagination or was that a rather phallic shape there in the middle?

Alec squinted. Joshua squirmed.

Yep, looked like a dick all right. An erect one at that, even if it was a rather abstract rendering. Alec blinked. He opened his mouth to say something, but found himself speechless. Ooookay. If that straight, bright red thing was a cock, then those smaller, roundish things had to be...

"Josh, you _dog_!" Alec practically squealed in delight. He pointed at the picture, grinning like a loon. It was porn! Joshua-porn! The big guy had finally created something Alec could relate to and appreciate.

Clearly taken aback by Alec's reaction, Joshua stared at him with big, round eyes and nodded solemnly, doubtfully. "Joshua dog," he said, in a tone that implied that yes, he was aware that he was part dog, it wasn't exactly news, so what the hell was Alec talking about and why was he so tickled by this particular painting? "You like?"

"Hell, yes, I like." Alec laughed out loud and thumped Joshua's shoulder to convey his appreciation. "It's _sex_. Sex sells." He tilted his head, looked closer. Unlike with most of Joshua's other paintings, Alec's imagination had no trouble deciphering _this_ code. "Hell," he admitted with an amused chuckle, "this is enough to get even _my_ engine revving." Not that it took much, mind you, but after the past couple of days he hadn't expected to get turned on by Joshua #69.

His praise made Joshua wriggle happily, just a little. White teeth glinted in a wide grin as the big guy's passion for his art overcame his embarrassment. "Tab A," he explained cheerfully, and swept a clawed finger down through the air, following the line of the biggest phallus. "Slot B," he added, indicating one of the circles.

"I wish," Alec muttered. Oh, this no-sex-until-further-notice decision was a bitch. A week without and apparently his traitorous body was willing to take whatever it could get, else the dog-man's clarification would've never been labeled "erotic" in Alec's book.

He startled when Joshua sidled up next to him, big hot body crowding close. He looked up and found himself snared in the most intense stare he'd ever seen Joshua level at anyone. "What?"

"Alec wishes what?" Deep voice. Heated, somewhat breathless tone that pressed right through Alec's rational thinking and curled around his balls like a suggestive touch. Whatever answer he might've come up with burned away in a sudden blaze of pheromones. Okay, something wasn't right here. This was Joshua. Joshua wasn't supposed to sound sexy. Joshua was innocent, somewhat naive, sweet, cuddly...

...sniffing the crook of Alec's neck, brushing a huge hand lightly against Alec's hip, drowning him in the musky, spicy smell of his arousal. _Innocent, my ass._ The man knew exactly what he was doing. Which really shouldn't surprise Alec as much as it did, because Joshua had told them more than once that he'd been the first. _Special._ He'd been around - and getting it on, apparently - when Alec had still been a hypothetical construct lurking in the back of Sandeman's brain.

Long, silky hair brushed against the bare skin of Alec's cheek and neck when Joshua leaned down a little bit more, taking full advantage of the X5's distraction. "No more Annie," he rumbled into the shell of Alec's ear. He would've had every right to sound resigned and bitter, but while those emotions were definitely there as well, there was also an almost aggressively seductive timbre to Joshua's tone. The sensation of hot breath against already burning skin did nothing to help the younger transgenic regain his balance. "I don't want to be alone." A single claw tapped lightly against the crotch of Alec's jeans. It made him unexpectedly, shockingly aware of his growing hardness. "Want to get busy," Joshua whispered, not shy about it in the least. "Maybe... Alec wants to get busy with Joshua?"

Alec's eyes widened, his lips parted, but the only sound that came out was an embarrassing little mewl that would've made him blush if not for the fact that most of his blood seemed too busy rushing south. The primitive tomcat part of him should've been hung up on the gender issue, but his Manticore handlers had taken care of that early on. His kind had been created for assassination and espionage purposes. To refine the former, they were almost perfectly ambidextrous; to facilitate the latter, they were as bisexual as genetic engineering and training could make them. Even alpha males like Alec were used to spreading them when the situation demanded it, and most X5s had learned to enjoy the experience. The bottom line was sex was sex, and sex with a dog-man was better than no sex at all.

So Alec blinked until he got enough of his brain cells working to formulate a clear sentence, turned around, tilted his head back, and gave Joshua the most flirtatious smile he could muster. "Why, Joshua, are you hitting on me?"

In hindsight, maybe he could've phrased that better, because Joshua took a hasty step back, hands coming up defensively. "No! No hitting." And just like that, six foot six of gorgeous hunk turned into six foot six of worried doggie searching desperately for wooing words. "Make whoopee?" he offered hopefully. "Screw like... like cat and dog?"

Alec shrugged and sauntered closer, not particularly concerned with semantics and firmly refusing to dwell on the disturbing images the final suggestion evoked. "Sounds good to me." Better and better the more he thought about it, really. No strings, no hassle, no worries about an ordinary getting caught in the crossfire. Just a little stress relief between friends. And the nice thing about doing it with guys was that they didn't expect him to fall in love or some such shit. Well, except for the bit where Alec had been more than a little enamored with Joshua's body for a while now. He rubbed his hands in gleeful anticipation. "Okay, let's get you out of these clothes."

"Whoa." Joshua moved further back, which irritated Alec to no end. It had been Joshua who'd started this. Alec was just getting with the program. Trying to, anyway.

"What? You decide you'd rather mope or paint?" What was _wrong_ with these people? Max was playing "chase the cherry" with Logan; Logan was doing his noble knight shtick and ignored Asha salivating after him; Sketchy couldn't score to save his life, and Normal... he shuddered. Better not go there. "I swear, dog-boy," he growled, as he stalked after his backpedaling friend with clenched fists, "if you're just trying to wind me up I'm gonna kick your ass right though this canvas here. Nobody likes a cock tease." Well, except for Logan maybe, or he would've long gotten Max a pair of gloves and told her to get to work.

"Living room," Joshua said, sounding very reasonable.

Alec stopped his slow pursuit, brow wrinkling in confusion. "What?"

Massive shoulders lifted and fell in an apologetic shrug. "Couch's too short."

Slightly mollified but still a little suspicious, Alec cocked his head and gave the other transgenic a speculative look. "So we are on the same page here? Sex is going to happen tonight?"

"Sex gonna happen tonight," Joshua confirmed, and drew his lips back to bare awe-inspiring fangs in a startlingly lewd grin just before the bastard reached out and patted Alec on the head. "No worry. Alec getting banged tonight."

Sometimes, Alec wondered where the hell the dog man picked up his jargon. And anyway- "What the hell makes you think _you_'re gonna top?"

Joshua's smile widened. The hand Alec hadn't quite gotten around to shaking off yet combed through the X5s short hair to wrap around Alec's neck and pull him in against a very broad, very hard chest. Alec had time for one peeved yelp, then Joshua's distinctly inhuman maw pressed against his mouth and he was too busy flailing and panicking about razor sharp teeth and dog breath to argue.

It took him a couple of seconds to wrap his mind around the discovery that his lips weren't being mangled after all and Joshua actually tasted kinda good once you got past the lingering Cheetos flavor. The pressure of fangs against the vulnerable softness of his mouth added an edge to the experience that got his pulse racing faster than any boob. He wasn't quite sure how and when Joshua's tongue had pushed past his lips, past his teeth, but there it was, going deep. He was being licked and tasted from the inside in such a competent, confident way every instinct he had told him to present his belly and hail the alpha. Part of it was probably Manticore training. Part wasn't. His body didn't give a damn either way and surrendered like a two-dollar whore. It must've been his cat DNA that made him want to scale Joshua like a tree and sit down on the nice, sturdy branch currently poking his belly.

Naturally, just when he was about to start climbing, Joshua had to ruin the moment by stopping. He pulled back for no better reason than to ask, "Well?"

Fists firmly wrapped in the big guy's shirt to compensate for weakened knees, all Alec could do was try to blink away the daze. "What was the question again?"

With a deep rumble of a chuckle, Joshua bent down once more, this time to rub his broad, flat nose against Alec's ear. "Joshua on top."

Somehow, it seemed rude to argue after a kiss like that, so Alec gave in gracefully. "Okay."

Oh, yeah.

He was _so_ getting banged tonight.

 

## Two: Like Cat and Dog

The bedroom smelled like dog. Dry dog, but still dog. Dog mixed with Joshua. It wasn't that Alec had a particular aversion to that musky scent, but it did dampen his mood a bit because it reminded him of flea-bitten mutts and - ever since his run-in with a certain dog-munching panther girl - of dirty sewers. His nose twitched, trying to ascertain the cleanliness of the room and the bed linens, and then Joshua gave him a playful shove and Alec found himself face-down on the king sized mattress that served as Joshua's bed.

Lived-in cotton. Salty sweat. Rich musk. Alec grinned. He could live with that. He turned and twisted so he could watch Joshua strip down with a reassuring lack of coy glances in Alec's direction. Joshua was horny. Joshua wanted to fuck. No need for a floorshow beyond the simple shucking of clothes. Undressing was good and should be mandatory for this guy, Alec decided. It was a shame to hide all that taut skin and toned muscle under layers of fabric. The man had shoulders wide as an engine block. Arms strong enough to rip iron bars out of solid concrete. A chest, broad as a damn stallion's, tapering into washboard abs covered with just a thin line of dark hair.

The buttons of Joshua's soft, washed-out jeans popped open one by one under dexterous fingers, every press and release accompanied by a tiny grunt of first discomfort, then release. Alec's gaze stayed glued to the impressive bulge beneath the denim until, with a final tug, Joshua opened his fly and pulled out the biggest cock the X5 had ever seen. Eyes widening almost ridiculously, Alec scrambled up off the bed and to his feet, torn between want and panic. Way to kickstart his instinct of self-preservation. This thing was not going anywhere near him without copious amounts of lube.

"Wooohooo! Slow down!" He held out a hand, palm out, thinking fast. "That's gonna need some serious slick."

Joshua stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. "What?"

"I'm not takin' _that_," Alec pointed at the massive penis, already half hard and rising to salute him, "without-" His jaw dropped. Good God, he was a _grower_? What the fuck? "Jesus Christ Almighty, what kinda size queen created you?" Alec breathed, aghast and fascinated.

"Father. _Sandman_. Joshua was first. _Special_." Impatience mixed with exasperation in Joshua's tone as the tall dog-man raised his arms in a frustrated "can we get on with this now?" gesture.

"Yeah, special, all right, I get it, but no way is this thing going up my ass, buddy." Alec shook his head emphatically, still staring at his friend's dick. Funny, his own hard-on hadn't let up in the least but seemed bound and determined to try and match its big brother over there. Okay, so sex was gonna happen _somehow_, but no banging of Alec's regulation-sized hole with that super-sized Jimmy. Uh-uh. "We're so not doing this. Tell you what: Why don't you bend over and _I_ fuck _you_? Much better fit, trust me."

Joshua snorted. _Snorted_. It was such an arrogant _nice-try_ sound that Alec narrowed his eyes and actually contemplated calling off their evening entertainment completely in order to go back to the pork-rinds-and-beer plan. Of course, that was before Joshua reached down again to pump his cock twice and make it drool like crazy. He drew a finger through the viscous liquid, smeared it over the head, stroked it down his bulky length, all the while giving Alec a sweltering look from under heavy brows. "Slick," he said huskily. "_Special_."

Alec hesitated. That was a _lot_ of... pre-come? Organic lube? He couldn't tell, didn't particularly care. Whatever it was, there was apparently no shortage of it. Might even be enough to make this possible, though it'd still take some work and a lot of patience, or he wouldn't be able to ride his bike tomorrow. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, weighing his options. Joshua watched him, his big hand wrapped firmly around that big, glistening cock, playing with his foreskin. He'd made his point; the decision was Alec's now. It was this freedom of choice that settled the issue.

What the hell. Life was short, Joshua wasn't going to hurt him on purpose, and as much as Alec liked pork-rinds, he liked sex better. So he shrugged, grinned, and pulled his t-shirt over his head before his brain could catch up with his libido. "You better make this good," he threatened, voice slightly muffled by the fabric, "or I'll- Whaa!"

The warm, wet rasp of tongue against nipple fucked up his coordination so badly he managed to get tangled up in his shirt like a clumsy teenager. It would've annoyed him to no end if he'd been able to think past the raw animal pleasure. Another broad swipe had him hard enough to hurt, and when Joshua started to suckle, the rest of Alec's dignity went out the window with a moan that was positively pornographic.

One huge hand took hold of his waist, claws tickling his skin, the other cupped a delighted butt cheek and squeezed. Alec threw his head back, stretched the cotton, and almost dislocated his shoulder with a wild contortion that finally freed him of the unlikely fetter. Fat lot of good it did; his eyes couldn't seem to focus, kept drifting half-closed. He dropped the shirt and buried his fingers in Joshua's wild mane instead, torn between the urge to pull that maddening mouth off his tingling, aching nipple and the compulsion to press it even harder against his chest. Paralyzed, teetering along the fine line that separates pain and pleasure, he didn't react immediately when Joshua's right hand moved from his waist to his front. Joshua rubbed Alec's crotch for a moment, making him hump his palm, before he unsnapped the first button and started the delicate process of liberating Alec's hard-on.

_Ow. Ouch. Oh, yeah._

The slide of denim over his hips, his ass, down his thighs, shouldn't have felt so damn good. Joshua left the material bunched around his knees, trapping him, holding him, still licking and sucking and driving him crazy as he undid Alec's shoe laces with dexterous fingers. There was that moan again, unbidden and decidedly sluttish. An answering growl vibrated along Alec's sternum. Joshua rose, grabbed Alec, and maneuvered them both onto the mattress so smoothly Alec couldn't have said how he'd done it. He only knew that suddenly he was lying prone, divested of his boots and pants, pressed down by what felt like a ton of muscle and shameless desire. Heat rippled across his back, made him gasp and tremble and push up fruitlessly.

"Alec and Joshua gettin' busy now?" _Last chance to back out_, Joshua's tone said. _Think fast_.

Thinking was overrated. "Less talking, more fucking," Alec ground out, dick trapped between his belly and the covers, senses approaching overload.

And just like that, the Amazing Super Tongue was back, licked along his spine from between the lower tips of his scapulas up to his neck, made goose bumps rise on his skin, and broke his breath into shattered little pants. Alec jerked and whimpered when he felt fangs close around his nape, right over his barcode. It wasn't quite a bite; it could've been a warning to behave himself, or maybe a doggy-caress. He froze, unsure how to react, painfully aroused and unnervingly defenseless. Joshua slipped a hand between Alec's belly and the mattress and pressed it against Alec's quivering abs, prompting him to lift his pelvis until he was kneeling awkwardly under the arch of Joshua's taller body. Only then did the teeth lift from his neck to be replaced by a slow, wet kiss that made Alec's knees slide even further apart with mortifying eagerness.

This would be the perfect moment for a smart-ass comment, Alec realized dazedly, something quippy and cool to distract from the fact that his body was blatantly begging for a good pounding. Unfortunately, his mind was fast descending into fizzling incoherence. Anyway, he couldn't talk right then. He had to bite his lip, because something huge, hard, and hot was sliding up against him. It nudged his balls from behind, seesawed along his perineum, made him oh-so-very aware of its size and intent. And still Joshua was bent over him, long hair tickling Alec's skin, warm breath incongruously cooling the wetness of his heated licks, one hand pressed against Alec's belly in an oddly protective, possessive gesture.

Alec was a six foot tall, genetically improved super soldier. Top or bottom, he was used to being in control. It was a new experience, to feel so utterly overwhelmed, so gently dominated before they'd even really started. It made something in Alec squirm with a dull, painful longing that had little to do with sex and everything with the discovery that there was actually one person in the world who gave a damn about him. Didn't love him, exactly, but cared for him, beyond the purely physical attraction that had brought them to this.

He didn't know how to react. Couldn't say anything, didn't _want_ to say anything, sure as _hell_ wasn't going to cry, didn't have the leverage to touch Joshua back. So he merely hung his head and shifted his legs, presented his neck and ass with a willingness that went beyond anything he'd ever yielded to anyone, in bed and out.

Taking him up on his wordless offer, Joshua straightened up with a final kiss. One hand came to rest lightly against Alec's hip, the other wandered from Alec's abdomen to his cock. The feel of calloused fingers against his sensitive erection sent an uneasy shiver through Alec's form that turned into a blissful tremble when Joshua started to fondle him with the expert confidence of a guy who was used to spending a lot of quality time with his own hand. Damn, no wonder poor Josh was going crazy cooped up all alone in this dump. If he had only half of the X5's sex drive – and it looked more like he was a solid match for Alec in that department – he had to be frustrated to the point of humping table legs. It was totally beyond Alec how the man could be so patient, invest so much effort into foreplay, when his dick had to be screaming at him to just grab his lover and fill him up.

Alec hadn't been aware of the hand leaving his waist, but he certainly noticed the slick digit that rubbed over his anus. He breathed out carefully, relaxed his muscles as much as he could, then closed his eyes and tried not to think of claws when Joshua's finger worked itself into him. He'd just have to trust that his friend wouldn't unintentionally cut him to ribbons. The stretching and the slide of rough skin against his tender insides burned and stung, but then, that was to be expected. Joshua didn't go deep, not like the trainers at Manticore; he seemed more concerned with teasing open the stubborn muscle right there at the gate. One knuckle, two knuckles, out again. Back, with more lubricant. In. Circle. Out. Another finger, more pressure.

No telling whether Joshua had had some schooling as well or if he was naturally ambidextrous, but he was doing a pretty good job of keeping Alec's cock entertained while he prepared him for the taking. Normally, Alec would've been talking dirty by then – both to distract himself from the unavoidable discomfort and to divert his lover's attention from just how exposed he was in this position – but there was an intensity and tenderness to Joshua's administrations that smothered the words before they were born. All he could do was rock and pant, caught in a steady rhythm of pleasure that was an end to itself. His nipples were sore and hard, his dick rigid, his entire body humming with need. His hole felt wet and loose, ready for anything, but still he couldn't help a nervous flutter when the head of Joshua's penis nudged against him. God, the guy was huge. He'd never taken anything like this, wasn't all that sure anymore that he wanted to go through with it.

"Shhh," Joshua soothed above him, probably sensing his dread. "Easy." He petted Alec's back, stroked his sides, caressed his buttocks with both hands. So sure, so confident, as if he'd touched Alec's body a thousand times and knew all of its kinks and quirks. It was a side of Joshua that didn't come out often, but when it did... wow. Even his voice sounded different; deeper somehow, more focused: less eager-to-please-doggie and more leader-of-the-pack. It wrapped around Alec's dick like damp velvet. "We go slow, okay, pretty fella?"

"What do you-" Alec moaned and actually blushed a little when Joshua parted his cheeks, deeply aware of the dog-man's hungry stare. How Max managed to file this multi-layered creature away under "naïve pet/protégé" was beyond Alec. He didn't even need to _see_ Joshua's look to know it was as lusty as they come. _Jesus_. The slick, smooth, greased-apple feel of Joshua's cock head against his opening made him shift restlessly, apprehensive and aroused at once. He took a deep breath. "What do you mean, 'pretty'?" he rasped. He'd intended to add that he was at least worth a "gorgeous", but a gentle, rocking nudge - half promise half threat - made him swallow the words.

"What does Alec want?" Joshua gruffed, tickling the edges of Alec's pucker with the tips of his claws as he stretched him open again. "Poetry? With Joshua, _under_ Joshua, Alec's pretty."

"Just pretty?" Alec teased, once he'd gotten his breath back, more to see how this x-rated version of Joshua would react to the baiting than really fishing for a compliment.

"Pretty when waiting." It felt like a fucking fist was pressing against him then, pushing, shoving, splitting him apart. Alec keened and grabbed the bed sheets with both fists, every thought of verbal sparring gone. He bowed his back, lowered his head, felt tension ripple through every fiber of his being. His muscles spasmed around the massive intruder, which made Joshua moan so low he had to be tapping into the subsonic range, because Alec could _feel_ the sound, feel it resonate in his bones like he could feel the man's cock sink deeper and deeper into his ass. "Pretty hot now," Joshua whispered above him. "Alec..."

_Goddamnmotherfuckingson-of-a-bitch!_

Ow. Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. Too much. Too frickin' much, this had to be a fuckin' _joke_, had Joshua really thought he could take skinny little _Annie_ like this? _Alec_ wasn't sure he could take it, and Alec wasn't exactly a blushing virgin.

"_Alec_..." More urgent now, rough and raw, so goddamn needy and wanting Alec whimpered a breathless encouragement through the pain. He'd hoped it'd get easier once the head had made it past the seizing guardian muscle, but no, the slick shaft seemed to grow even thicker as it pushed in, unrelenting. It would've driven him face-first into the mattress if not for Joshua's hands on his hips, keeping him firmly in position.

He was shaking, covered in a sheen of sweat, every sense he had zeroed in on what was happening between his legs. The impalement took forever; his world narrowed down to the measured, steady glide of Joshua's dick as it bore into him, the sensation of fullness he'd never quite get used to, the wetness dripping down his balls and inner thighs. He hoped like hell it was just sweat and Joshua's juices, not blood; he was already too sore to tell. This was Joshua though. He would've stopped if he saw he was injuring Alec; he was certainly watching closely enough that he couldn't have missed any sign of impending damage.

"Josh..." He hissed it from between clenched teeth; eyes squeezed shut, breath coming too fast, too flat. He honestly didn't know how much more he could take. His body was built to withstand a lot more abuse than an ordinary human's, but this was supposed to be about _pleasure_, damn it, not pain.

"Almost there," Joshua whimpered back. He sounded nearly as tortured as Alec, like it hurt to push into such a tight sheath, like maybe it hurt even more to do it so slowly, so carefully. "Sorry, sorry, almost there."

By the feel of it, the tip of Joshua's erection had to be poking into his abdominal cavity by now; he was almost tempted to press a hand against his middle to check if he could feel it from the outside. He didn't, mostly because he was afraid he just might. The silky, firm curve of the invading penis skimmed along Alec's prostate, mocked him with an elusive tingle of toe-curling bliss, but the contact wasn't firm or continuous enough to outweigh the ache caused by the persistent penetration.

"Almost... _almost_..." A shove, a jerk, and then – finally! – Joshua's pelvis was flush against Alec's ass, pubic hair coarse against his skin, heavy balls swinging gently against his backside and taint.

They remained motionless for a minute or so, linked intimately, catching their breath. This, Alec decided numbly, hadn't been such a good idea. His cock had wilted pitifully, he wouldn't be able to sit for days, and, frankly, affection and great foreplay aside, the actual fucking was gonna be a bitch. Oh well. Too late. No sense in ruining the evening for both of them by making a big deal out of it now. _Buck up, soldier, and take it like a man_.

The feather light touch of a finger brushing along his spine almost made him jump out of his skin, it came so unexpected. His back arched into the caress before he'd made the conscious decision to move. Behind him, Joshua shifted as well, hips canting, muscular thighs deftly forcing Alec's legs to spread even wider. He ground against Alec, humped just so, only a little bit, searching, prodding, then almost lifted the shorter man off the bed with a well-aimed thrust.

Alec howled.

_Bull's eye._

There. There. Exactly _there_. He hardly noticed the burning drag of dick against his sphincter as Joshua pulled halfway out only to slam back in again. _Yes yes yes yes_. His eyes were open now, but he didn't see a thing... not that the bedspread was particularly stunning anyway. Electric waves of pure carnal sensation rolled through his nervous system. Every impact sent another swell of blinding, almost too-intense pleasure through his being from the base of his own rapidly filling cock to the very tips of his fingers.

How the hell had this gone from "barely tolerable" to "mind-numbingly perfect" in two seconds flat? _I take it back_, he thought inanely between two excruciating mini-whiteouts, _I take it all back_. Joshua knew what he was doing. Joshua had had a plan. Joshua was the fucking king of the bedroom. He couldn't make the pain go away, but damn if he didn't make Alec not care about it.

Everything became kind of a blur after that; a sensory quilt that reduced the usually quite adaptable X5 to his basics as he moved helplessly to Joshua's hard, pounding rhythm. The air was heavy with the scent of sweat and male musk, saturated with harsh, guttural grunts of animal satisfaction, boiling with the heat of two fully aroused transgenic males. Joshua rutted like he painted, like he loved: with a passionate single-mindedness that left no room for hesitation or regrets. One big hand held Alec securely in place, the other worked him mercilessly. Trapped between the delicious stroke-squeeze of Joshua's fingers and the equally efficient piston fucking his ass, Alec lost himself in the moment. For a brief, precious while, he forgot about Asha and Rachel, Max and Ben, Manticore, White, and the whole mess they were in, and let Joshua fuck him into blessed oblivion.

* * *

Joshua had known Alec would feel good, but he hadn't anticipated just how tight he'd be, how hot and willing. And his smell... Joshua closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, slowing down the pace the better to appreciate the sensation of Alec's body as it clenched and unclenched around his dick, the heat that rose from his smooth, practically hairless skin, and the intoxicating flood of pheromones that soon had Joshua flying higher than a ton of weed. Who would've thought the cat in Alec's cocktail would affect him this way? He licked his lips, relishing the spicy, tangy flavor that cozied up to his taste buds and rolled around there playfully. Yummy. Almost as good as the symphony of low, needy mewls and whimpers that fanned the fire of Joshua's ardor with every shaky breath Alec took. No attempt at levity now, no tricks and treats, nothing but feverish want and almost desperate desire. This was Alec with his walls torn down, and Joshua was determined to enjoy every second of it.

_Made for this_, he thought dizzily. Built for profit, maybe, trained to kill; but at the core, Alec was made for loving. For being loved. It was there in the slow, sensual undulations, in the trembling, skilled acceptance of Joshua's bulk, in the arousal that glided hard and ready through Joshua's hand. It was in the way Alec entrusted himself to Joshua, let himself be touched and taken in the most intimate fashion, and didn't try to distance himself from the experience by talking.

Having steeled himself for the usual Alec-soundtrack, Joshua found himself strangely entranced by this near-silent version of his friend. He'd only ever seen Alec this quiet once before, when he'd been chased down by a ghost of his past. He'd been closed off then, the mask of the irresponsible charmer gone, replaced by the soldier underneath. This was different though; a door that had opened instead of slamming closed to reveal another sparkling, razor-edged shard of the beautiful, fucked-up soul hammered into shape in the merciless forges of Manticore.

The picture rose in Joshua's mind then, his next Alec portrait; different from the first, different from everything he'd created so far. Colors and blackness, broken knives glued to shredded canvas, pieces of a broken window fixed together with duct tape and dried blood. Scraps of silk and chunks of fur, earth and ashes and pressed flowers.

_Alec_.

"Joshua... please... come on... so close... _so close_..." Breathless, pleading, Alec bucked against his lover, fucked himself on Joshua's cock like a cat in heat.

And just like that, Joshua's inner artist went bye-bye. Pictures, colors, and abstract thinking gave way to inarticulate need and the irrepressible, instinctive resolve to make Alec his own. His eyes opened, his hold on Alec's waist tightened. A growl rose in his chest, rough and primal, born from the darkest, most feral part of his being. He let go then, gave up on masturbating Alec, just pinned the younger man beneath his greater weight and rammed himself into his hot wetness again and again.

Alec squirmed and cried out, and it drove Joshua nuts, made him rear up and bare his fangs in a possessive snarl. _Mine_. He stared down at broad, angular shoulders; the glide and move of shoulder blades like wings trying to break free; the arched back, rippling with corded muscle and still so bony, caught in the no-man's land between youth and manhood. He breathed in the salty scent of sweat and tears, the heavy, thick smells of arousal and pain, the piquant essence of Alec mixing with his own. _Mine_. He bent down to swipe his tongue across the curved rosary cord of Alec's spine, grunted his appreciation of the rich taste as it sunk into his awareness. His balls slapped against firm skin with every shove and push; Alec's ass gripped him, squeezed him, teased him with its erratic contractions and maddening snugness. _Mine_.

He could feel that familiar tingle and tightening of his full-to-bursting testicles and gritted his teeth. The force of his thrusts dragged Alec back and forth over the covers, but it wasn't quite enough, he needed more, needed _something_. Harder. Faster. _Deeper_.

The sudden jolt that ran through Alec's body caught him by surprise. The taut, straining form trapped between Joshua and the mattress stiffened as if in the grip of a seizure, choked out a sound not quite a sob, not quite a scream. Slim hips jerked, once, twice...

...it was all Joshua processed before the vicious clamp of Alec's muscles around the base of his cock sent him spinning out of control. He came into his lover's heat in endless spurts, whimpering at the intensity of his relief. He didn't stop pumping until every hint of resistance was gone, until Alec lay under him in complete surrender and Joshua's cock felt raw and bruised, his balls emptied and satisfied.

He sank down on top of Alec, still embedded in him, oddly content in a way that wasn't entirely sexual. As he drifted off into drowsy lassitude, his left hand found Alec's and gently coaxed open the death grip it had on the covers so he could intertwine their fingers. The last thing he felt was the gentle brush of a thumb against his own.

* * *

"You're squishing me."

It wasn't much of a complaint, considering that Joshua's powerful form was pretty well mashing Alec into the mattress, and it wasn't particularly insistent, but it was followed by a painful hiss and a brief spasm of the muscle still stretched wide by Joshua's softened cock. Realizing their position really wasn't all that comfortable for his partner, Joshua shook off the lingering sluggishness with a grunt. He propped himself up on his elbows and started to carefully withdraw from the satiny, moist furnace of Alec's body, an inch at a time. It took a while, even though the channel was loosened and well greased both by Joshua's organic lubricant and his spooge, and it made Alec whimper in a not-good way that made Joshua anxious and unhappy. He hadn't wanted to hurt his friend, never that.

"Sorry," he whispered around every single one of Alec's moans, "Sorry, sorry, sorry."

"Okay, okay, okay," Alec chanted back, then gave him a little half-glare over one shoulder. "I get it, Josh. Just- just go slow." He hissed again. "Ow. Fuck. Remind me again who thought this was a good idea?"

Well, in all fairness... "You."

Alec gasped in indignation. Joshua made good use of his momentary distraction. He pressed a hand firmly against the small of the younger man's back and slid out the last third of his cock before Alec could shift his focus again, then switched his grip and caught his lover around the waist to hold him up when Alec sagged suddenly, as if Joshua's dick had been the only thing keeping him upright anymore.

"I think I'm gonna pass out now," Alec informed him faintly. "Don't forget to put the beer in the fridge."

Joshua grumbled, much more concerned with the state of Alec's behind than the current beer-temperature. Legs still spread, thighs wet with sweat and slick, the X5 looked like something right out of Joshua's frequent sex dreams. His sphincter muscle hadn't closed down yet, so his hole remained open and inviting, dripping come. Joshua would've liked to finger it a little, play with it, fill it up again, but the tissue was already swelling and sore-looking, so he smacked down the urge. Still, he couldn't resist a careful caress, just one gentle touch against the tender rim of the overused opening. "Does it hurt much?" he asked guiltily.

"Hmmmmmnn."

"Alec?" Joshua stretched and leaned over his suspiciously limp bedmate, peering over a naked shoulder to try and catch a glimpse of Alec's face. "You okay, pretty fella?"

Long, dark lashes quivered faintly against freckled skin, showing a glint of hazel-green. "I think y' fucked me dead," Alec mumbled, but reached back awkwardly to pat Joshua's thigh before Joshua could panic. "'S okay. What a way to go." And with a beautiful little smile, he fell asleep.

 

## Epilogue: Cat in the Cradle

Alec's skin was smooth under the feather-light brush of Joshua's hand. Warm. Dusted with hairs so fine and small they could only be felt, not seen. Frown lines, just as faint, just as there, marred the even plane of his forehead. Eyebrows sleek as the coat of a well-groomed animal, fragile eyelids, framed by finest satin that lay taut over the shallow dips of his temples.

Eyes firmly closed, Joshua explored his lover's features leisurely while the younger man slept. He traced high cheekbones, discovered every tiny unevenness of a nose that had been created flawless but been broken too often to remain completely perfect even with transgenic healing. He fancied he could feel Alec's freckles, warm like sunlight through glass, but maybe that was only his imagination. The pad of his index finger followed the wing of the nose down to a hint of stubble that would need several days still to qualify as "whiskers". It made him prettier, Joshua knew, and it was convenient when on mission deployment. No shaving necessary, and in case an operation went south, the soldiers' youthful beauty would give them an advantage, if only by buying them a moment's hesitation. For an X5, that'd be enough.

Deadly kitty.

Strong line of jaw, firm chin with a slight cleft, and he could sense the density of bone, protected by tough muscle and supple skin. His thumb found the softness of Alec's lips, pliant beneath the calluses of Joshua's fingers and the threat of his claws.

Joshua had wanted to see what Annie had seen, but it wasn't enough.

He opened his eyes, gorged himself on the sight of Alec asleep in his arms, sated and content, and he hurt.

Annie would never know this, not with Alec, not with Joshua, not with anyone. Annie was free in a way Joshua wasn't, and he envied her for it, but she was also locked in darkness just like Joshua was trapped in hiding. The difference was that Joshua might one day walk the streets with his head held high – unlikely, granted, but possible – but Annie would remain a prisoner for the rest of her life. She, who'd been the first to touch Alec this intimately, would never see his eyes sparkle with the thrill of a con, or his expressive mouth twitch into a smirk or soften into a genuine smile. She would never know Joshua's paintings or return his gaze, and all the things she might've learned about the two of them anyway had been stolen by one stupid news report.

_Let her go before she falls in love with you, before she wants you to meet her family, before you get yourself killed, before you get her killed. Send her away. _

It was so unfair, Joshua wanted to howl. Kind, sweet Annie, courageous like a lion, had found her way into his heart. He liked her. He _loved_ her. He wanted her in his life. He wanted her to meet Alec, _this_ Alec, _his_ Alec; he wanted her to become a part of his family. He wanted Alec in his bed, Annie at his table, Max, Original Cindy, and Logan in his den, and all of them at his side, always.

What he had was a painting of Annie, infrequent visits by Max, phone calls from Original Cindy, and Eyes Only bulletins occasionally glimpsed through his neighbor's living room window.

A purring snore lifted his spirits dramatically.

Well, he did have Alec in his bed. One out of four wasn't so bad.

Alec twisted in his sleep, threw a leg over Joshua's hip, pushed his face into Joshua's hand, and pressed his crotch firmly against Joshua's. He smelled like sweat and sex and Joshua. He smelled like pack.

Not bad, Joshua decided. Not bad at all.

 

**The End**


End file.
